Integrating state and transition models with expert elicitation predictions of habitat suitability for a threatened bird community

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This dataset contains expert-elicited habitat suitability scores for threatened and declining bird species associated with the Australian mallee ecosystems of southern Australia. Expert assessments were undertaken to quantify the expected suitability of vegetation condition states for bird species across three broad mallee archetypes: Chenopod/Tussock Grass Mallee, Mesic Heathy Mallee, and Triodia/Shrubby Mallee.For each species–condition combination, the dataset reports the mean expert habitat suitability score (1–7 Likert scale), the standard deviation among experts, the coefficient of variation (where applicable), and the number of experts contributing to each estimate. Two versions of the dataset are provided. The archetype datasets contain expert scores for individual vegetation archetypes within each mallee type, while the simplified certainty datasets aggregate archetypes into broader vegetation classes and include simplified vegetation condition states for comparison with ecosystem condition assessments.These data were developed to support habitat suitability mapping, ecosystem condition assessment, state-and-transition modelling, biodiversity monitoring, and conservation planning for the nationally listed Threatened Mallee Bird Community under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The dataset accompanies a manuscript describing the expert elicitation methods and provides the processed expert consensus values used in subsequent analyses.The expert elicitation followed a structured workshop process involving experienced researchers and land managers with expertise in mallee ecology and bird conservation. The resulting consensus scores provide quantitative estimates of bird habitat suitability across vegetation condition states and can be used to parameterise habitat models, support restoration planning, evaluate ecosystem condition, and inform biodiversity accounting and decision-support tools.